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Moving formula marketing out of hospitals requires a culture change. Many doctors and nurses enjoy giving patients a “free gift,” and don’t appreciate the hidden costs associated with marketing strategies.

Staff may not realized that free samples are linked with earlier use of formula among nursing mothers in randomized controlled trials. Professionals who have never purchased formula may not realize that name-brand products cost a third more than store-brand products, raising costs considerably for bottle-feeding families. Educating care providers and hospital adminsitrators about these issues is the first step toward eliminating these marketing practices. To start the conversation, review our talking points.

This tool kit includes materials developed by the Massachusetts Breastfeeding Coalition and Ban the Bags, as well as letters of support from regional and national organizations.

Whether you are a parent, a concerned citizen, a public health advocate or a health care provider, you can change this practice. Browse our materials for ideas and inspiration, or Download Our Complete Tool Kit for background information, supporting data and educational materials to start lobbying for change in your community.

In 2007, Portland, Oregon became the first “Bag Free” city in the US, when all 15 maternity hospitals stopped marketing formula to new mothers. The Oregon Community Health Partnership, the Nursing Mothers’ Counsel of Oregon and the Breastfeeding Coalition of Oregon joined forces to present awards to “Bag Free” hospitals and draw attention to the negative consequences of formula marketing. They summarized their success in an award-winning poster for the Oregon Public Health Association.

By Melissa Bartick, MD, MS
Chair, Massachusetts Breastfeeding Coalition

February, 2007 — In Massachusetts, getting hospitals to stop marketing baby formula became a battle of words fought in the press and in the corridors of the State House. In February 2006, then-Governor Mitt Romney directed our state’s Public Health Council to rescind the country’s first state regulation to ban hospital distribution of formula company discharge bags. Romney, his spokesman, and other opponents of the ban argued that women should be “free to choose” how they feed their babies, and that women should not be “forced” to breastfeed. Read more »

Marsha Walker, a long-time advocate for mothers and babies, sums up why your hospital shouldn’t be part of the formula marketing racket. This one-page summary was instrumental in moving formula marketing out of a Texas hospital. Take it to your adminstrators today! Read more »

Did your hospital’s postpartum unit pitch pricey infant formula? If you’re a nursing mom who got an unasked-for formula marketing bag, write a letter voicing your disapproval. Hospitals need to know that moms do not appreciate sales pitches in the hours after childbirth. Use our sample letter to get started. Read more »

Increasing attention is being directed towards compliance requirements in the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries. Some of these regulations have implications for those who purchase, recommend, receive, and/or distribute infant formula.
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Marsha Walker, RN, IBCLC, and Anne Merewood, MPH, IBCLC, launched the Ban the Bags Campaign at a plenary session at the International Lactation Consultants Association meeting. View their PowerPoint talk to learn more about the struggle to curb pharmaceutical company influence in Massachusetts and the national campaign to remove marketing tactics from maternity wards.

Show your support for Ban the Bags with mugs, badges, t-shirts, and even a Ban the Bags Bag. Visit our online store. Proceeds support the Ban the Bags campaign.

Health professionals should prepare talking points for interview situations, contact with the press, or meeting with legislators or public health officials and avoid being drawn into debates that make them appear to be zealots. The following are common industry assertions and claims by opponents followed by useful responses. Read more »

Moving marketing out of hospitals requires a multipronged approach, ranging from legislation to public awareness to hospital policy change. See how others are tackling this problem across the country. Read more »